On the first day of his second term, President Trump issued an executive order titled "Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program" - a phrase that sounds like a furniture rearrangement but functions, in practice, as an indefinite refugee ban. The program, which historically enjoyed broad bipartisan support, provides a legal path for refugees fleeing persecution to be rigorously vetted and, if approved, resettled in the United States. The order suspends it "until such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests of the United States." Since then, the administration has carved out exceptions to the ban - almost exclusively for white South Africans.

The priorities became explicit a year ago, on Oct. 30, 2025, when the administration announced it would cap annual refugee admissions at a historic low of 7,500, almost all of them white South Africans. Then, in May, it announced it would admit an additional 10,000 white South Africans as refugees this year, while still blocking people from essentially every other country from entering through the program.

According to data released by the U.S. Department of State in October, the U.S. accepted a total of 16,292 refugees in fiscal 2026. All but five of them are South Africans - a ratio that suggests the vetting process is less a filter than a very specific guest list.

Trump is required by law to issue a determination of the target on legal refugees before the start of each new federal fiscal year. On Sept. 25, 2026, he issued a Presidential Determination capping refugee admissions in the new fiscal year at 17,500, primarily for Afrikaners from South Africa. No other country was mentioned. It's the humanitarian equivalent of a restaurant with a 17,500-seat capacity and a menu featuring one dish.

The new admissions limit and the single-group focus represent a stark change in a program that had previously provided a vital haven for refugees from a wide range of persecutions and countries. In 1982, Ronald Reagan set the annual ceiling at 140,000; in 2024, the Biden administration set a target of 125,000. The current number is roughly the population of a small-town high school, if that high school were also a country.

The federal government's single-minded focus on Afrikaners has categorically and unlawfully blocked vulnerable refugees from other populations and deprived them of the chance of even applying for an exception to the refugee ban. It even eliminates the priorities set by Congress, which include the Follow-to-Join Program for spouses and minor children of refugees in the U.S.; the Iraqi Direct Access Program for U.S.-affiliated Iraqis; and the Lautenberg Program for persecuted religious minorities, including 14,000 individuals currently at risk amid escalating violence in Iran. Congress, it turns out, can set priorities; the administration can simply ignore them.

Meanwhile, a legal challenge to the ban continues in the courts. On April 7, Church World Service, along with HIAS, Lutheran Community Services Northwest and several refugee plaintiffs moved to file an amended complaint in the ongoing lawsuit challenging the refugee ban. The amended complaint alleges that the administration's exclusion of all refugees except South Africans is driven by racial animus and brings a new focus on refugee populations prioritized by Congress that continue to be barred.

Among the refugees stranded in the pipeline overseas are those who have received support from the Republican-controlled Congress, and even from within the administration. The Lautenberg Program was included in the annual appropriations bill for the U.S. State Department signed by Trump in 2026. And the Senate version of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act includes a provision protecting Afghan allies stranded at a former U.S. military base in Qatar, many of whom have already been approved for refugee resettlement. Being approved, it seems, is no longer the same as being admitted - a distinction that will surprise anyone who has ever been told "you're approved" and assumed that meant something.

America has a long history of welcoming those fleeing persecution. But this administration has ended the U.S. refugee program as we know it: dismantling protections, maintaining a refugee ban, and resettling almost exclusively white people from a single country of origin.

At Church World Service, we continue to fight for an end to the refugee ban and for the resettlement of those being kept unlawfully in limbo. We call for a more equitable, inclusive admissions program that will keep its promises to those left stranded in extremely dangerous circumstances.

At a minimum, the administration should broaden exceptions to the ban beyond South Africans. And as Trump added 10,000 white South Africans midway through the last fiscal year, so he has discretion to consult with Congress and adjust the latest limits during the current fiscal year. Discretion, it turns out, is a two-way street - even if the current traffic pattern suggests otherwise.

As persecution continues around the world, so too should our bipartisan support for refugees - regardless of where they come from, the color of their skin, or what faith they practice.

Rick Santos is president and chief executive officer of Church World Service, a faith-based humanitarian and social justice organization.